A Kindling Fire
by Victoria618
Summary: She always hated her hair and who she was; the bright red always made her feel outcasted. Konoha simply wasn't home. However, sometimes the most fiery and unique of colour can be the most beautiful. ONE-SHOT (Friendship story.)


**Just a short little story about Mikoto Uchiha (Sasuke's mom) and Kushina Uzumaki (Naruto's mom), and how they became friends. **

* * *

Kushina Uzumaki sat patiently at her seat, waiting for her turn to be called up to complete the last part of the graduation exam. She sighed; it really did kind of suck to be at the bottom of the attendance list. Her fingers tapped the desk nervously as she watched one by one as her fellow classmates transformed into her teacher. She was slightly scared of messing up; she really wanted to become a genin for she could not bear to spend another year at the academy. For the most part the academy was actually okay. She did not mind learning new techniques, but she hated Kuinochi lessons. They were so boring. Kushina could not imagine herself rearranging flowers or seducing anyone. Practicing ninjutsu and taijutsu were much more appealing for the energetic girl. Although she wasn't the greatest at ninjutsu, she discovered that she had a natural affinity for pummelling her classmates to the ground. Or anyone who made fun of her bright red hair, actually.

"Uzumaki Kushina," The teacher called out.

Kushina stood up and walked to the front of the classroom. "Yes sensei."

"I would like for you to perform the transformation jutsu. Your task is to transform into me." He explained.

Kushina could already hear some of the kids snickering. She balled up her fists, determined to ignore them and prove them wrong. Performing the correct hand signs, and concentrating her chakra, she performed the transformation jutsu—one of the most basic yet important techniques for shinobi to have.

Her teacher studied her results. After a few moments, he finally said, "Not bad, Kushina, I will give you the pass."

A wide smile spread across Kushina's face and she pumped her fists up in the air. She knew she could do it! "Alright, dattebane!"

The teacher smiled a bit at her reaction. "Well class that is it. For those of you who passed, congratulations. We will be looking forward to seeing you tomorrow where you will start your shinobi careers as genin and be organized into three-man squads. I will see those individuals tomorrow." And with that, they were dismissed.

Kushina walked out of the classroom feeling a hundred times lighter. Becoming a genin was a big accomplishment for her, maybe now her classmates would respect her a bit more.

"Hey… Uzumaki," a boy who was walking behind her whispered.

Kushina ignored him. He was one of those boys who constantly picked on her.

"Psst….Hanebero, could you, possibly, you know…transform into a tomato next?" He asked maliciously.

His friends burst out into laughter and high fives. Kushina could feel her cheeks burn and light pink flush filled her slightly round face. Oh how she hated those boys who constantly made fun of her for her red hair and face that had its baby fat still. She quickly glanced around for the teacher—saw no sign of him—and immediately tackled the boy.

"How about I transform your face into road kill?!" She yelled, punching the back of the boy's head and yanking his hair.

"Hanebero, stop it! You're hurting him!" His friends cried out, trying to pull her off.

"Well, I hope it is! He deserves it! You all better quit calling be 'tomato' or 'Hanebero' or you'll be sorry!" She snarled, and got off the boy.

The boy and his friends threw some crumpled papers at her and ran off before muttering "Stupid tomato girl."

Kushina felt her face heat up again but turned the other way instead of pursuing them. She knew they would run off to their older brothers and she was not in the mood to fight them. Her good mood was now soured from those boys. She always got those jeers everyday from her classmates, ever since she blurted out her name (along with her embarrassing speech quirk) and boldly declared that she would be the first female Hokage. Man, what was she thinking? Who even wanted to be Hokage anyways? Well except for that dorky looking golden hair boy named Minato. After that embarrassing fiasco passed over, her classmates decided that her red hair and the fact her face turned red whenever she got angry or excited was even more hilarious. Everyday she would get called tomato at least three times. She hated her stupid hair. She hated how she looked—wishing she was as pretty as that Kiyomi girl with her sparkling blue eyes and blueish hair. Most of all she hated Konoha. It wasn't home, and she felt incredibly out casted. She missed the small buildings in Uzushiogakure, the warm, temperate weather, and the spray of salt water from the whirlpools, as she would skip along its edges. But she knew she could not go back, for war has left it in a very bad shape. The on going war has left young Kushina to desire peace everyday, but ironically, the exact opposite occurred. Although she knew she could not go back, she still did not understand as to why she was sent here in the first place.

_I just want to be accepted…. _

Tears brimmed in the girl's eyes as this thought echoed her mind. She hastily wiped them away, hoping that no one saw them. Oh god, she would never let that down if any of her classmates saw! Being tomato or Habanero was one thing, but if she was called crybaby….that would be the worst. Kushina kicked a small rock—sending it tumbling down the path. Should anyone call her something worse than tomato, what she did to the rock is exactly what she would do to their head. The sound of rustling leaves and the silence that followed reminded Kushina as to how lonely she felt. She wished she had at least one friend to walk with, laugh with, and share dreams and secrets with. A humourless laugh escaped from her mouth. As if that would happen—that was all just wishful thinking.

The fiery girl soon neared the house—well more like mansion—she was staying at. Stepping up onto the wooden porch, she kicked her shoes off, and pushed the sliding door open.

"I am home!" She hollered.

An elderly woman appeared from the other room, slowly walking towards Kushina. Her hair was the exact same shade as Kushina's only it was duller and streaked with white. She wore a simple white kimono that trailed behind her and a distinctive purple diamond marked the forehead of her sagging skin. Kushina knew her as a distant cousin, but felt as if this lady was more of her grandmother than anything.

"Kushina-chan, your home early…"The lady smiled.

"Graduation exams were today Mito-baa-san," Kushina explained.

"Oh that is right. I assume everything went well?" Mito said.

"Yup! I am officially a genin 'ttebane!" Kushina beamed.

The same crinkly smile appeared on Mito's face again. "That is wonderful dear. You will become a fine Kuinochi, I am sure of it."

"I sure hope so, weren't you a powerful Kuinochi, Mito-baa-san?" Kushina heard countless of stories regarding Mito-san's amazing abilities and beauty, thus making her a famed shinobi at her time. One story even retold how Mito was able to survive the famine that struck the Shinobi world by painting seals all over her body. Even in her old age, she still moved with grace and purpose.

"In the past, my abilities were renowned," Mito said modestly. "However, with Hashirama—the first Hokage, I my abilities were nothing compared to his."

"But you sealed an entire nine-tailed, demon fox into yourself! That is impressive right there!"

Mito's gaze darkened a bit. "Yes….I suppose it could be."

Kushina patted Mito on the shoulder. "I am sure you could have been second hokage if you wanted to."

Mito laughed. "No dear, I wouldn't have desired that. Now, enough about me, what is next for you as a minted Genin?"

Kushina shrugged. "Nothing really. They are just going to organize us into teams of three and we do all these boring D-rank missions. Seriously, you know, a team is the last thing I need.

"How come dear?"

"All the kids make fun of me and my stupid hair! I thought becoming a Genin would finally get them to shut their mouths but it hasn't! The last thing I need is to be stuck with those kids until I make Chuunin!" Kushina blurted out, angry tears sprung in her eyes.

"Kushina-chan, you do not know that for sure," Mito said gently. "You never know how your new teammates might surprise you, perhaps you may even become friends. Furthermore, teamwork is essential for shinobi."

Kushina snorted. "Friends, yeah, that is a good one."

"You never know, you never know…." Mito said. "And you should not feel shameful of your hair. Your hair is beautiful and distinguished like all of us Uzumaki women. The flaming red colour symbolizes our courage and will of fire, as the first Hokage would call it. Most of all its part of what makes you you, you must learn to love yourself, Kushina."

Mito drew Kushina in for a tender hug and whispered into her hair. "Be proud of who you are…"

Kushina, for the first time, I had no words to say and was left to ponder the wiser Uzumaki's words.

* * *

Kushina sat complacently at her desk again while the teacher took attendance. She was now sporting a new headband. The navy blue fabric with its metal plate and Konoha symbol was tied around her head. Most of the kids around her were chatting loudly around her, discussing how the teams would be arranged and hoping that they would be on the same team as their friends. Kushina did not care about the teams just as long as none of her teammates would refer to her by her nicknames, then they should get along admirably.

"Alright class, settle down." Their instructor called out, trying to hush the class.

After several minutes the class finally got the picture and quieted down. All eyes were set intently on the instructor.

"Now that I have all your attention, I will be reading out the Genin squads. Please listen for your name. Squad one will be…."

"God, I sure hope I am not on the same team as that Tomato! That would be a nightmare!" A girl named Kaora whispered loudly to her friend.

"Yeah…" Her friend, a boy named Saito whispered back.

Kushina whipped around and glared daggers at them. "Why don't you two shut your faces. I wouldn't want to be on a team with either of you!"

Kaora smirked but didn't say anything more, where as Saito shrunk a bit in his seat. He so did not want to get pummelled again.

"Next is Team nine. First off is…Yamanka Hisoka!"

A boy with white-ish-blonde hair and deep violet eyes stood up. Kushina hardly knew him, but she knew that he ranked in the upper middle of the class. Furthermore, he never called her names before so she guessed that he would have to do.

"Second, we have Uzumaki Kushina!"

Kushina stood up and squared her shoulders, ignoring some whispered snide remarks from her peers.

"And last but not least, Uchiha Mikoto!"

A pretty, dark haired girl stood up. Kushina knew of her, but never spoke to Mikoto. Mikoto was a member of the prestigious Uchiha clan and was in the top four graduates of the class. The Uchiha girl already displayed above average abilities in taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu. She also seemed to have a knack for shuriken use and hardly missed a target, as expected from an Uchiha. Other than that, she seemed pretty kept to herself and was always surrounded by a few friends.

Kushina sighed, Mikoto nor Hisoka would probably want nothing to do with her.

After the rest of the teams were called, class was dismissed. This would allow teams to become better acquainted with each other. However, Hisoka immediately ran off to join his other friends for lunch. He promised to meet with Kushina and Mikoto later. That was okay, Kushina did not mind, but this left her alone with Mikoto. This very thought made Kushina slightly nervous. The red-headed girl quickly bolted from the classroom and ran to the outside courtyard of the academy. She plopped on the bench and began to eat her lunch. Alone, as she did all the time.

After an hour, just as Kushina was getting ready to head back to the classroom, she saw Mikoto approaching her. The raven-haired girl moved so fluidly—like water in motion. She was perfect.

_Great just great, she is probably going to tell me not to hold her back or remind me that I am a Tomato. _

Mikoto was now nearing the bench where Kushina was at.

_You were wrong Mito-baa-san, my red hair is just stupid. Why would anyone want to be seen with me or accept me as a friend? I don't belong and neither does my hair. _

"Hi," Mikoto said, wearing a warm smile. "I was looking for you but you left so quickly, I couldn't find you."

Kushina blinked. "Erm hi….what do you mean?"

"We are teammates, I was hoping to eat lunch with you…maybe get to know you better," Mikoto said.

No tomato calling….what was this? This was so bizarre that poor Kushina nearly fell backwards. Kushina stared at her suspiciously but only saw true sincerity from Mikoto.

"Careful now, you wouldn't want to be seen with the 'red hot Habanero'," Kushina said sarcastically.

A puzzled look crossed Mikoto's lovely features. "Why not? I don't see anything wrong with it. Besides why would I call you that?"

"Oh, I don't know…perhaps the bright, stupid, red hair or the fact that my face looks like its sunburned every time I get angry or excited, 'ttebane!" Kushina said dryly.

"Your hair isn't stupid," Mikoto said softly. "I think it's unique."

"Yeah well—wait, did you say you liked my hair?" Kushina said incredulously.

Mikoto smiled gently and nodded. "Yeah, its beautiful. Anyone can have black hair or brown hair, but your hair, it reminds me of a….strong and distinctive fire. Like this." Mikoto showed Kushina her clan's signature fireball technique.

"Wow….that was amazing 'ttebane!" Kushina said awestruck. Kushina was even more surprised that someone, besides her family, actually called her hair beautiful. Observing Mikoto's bright smile and genuine look in her dark eyes, Kushina knew the girl was actually being honest. No one in the academy has ever been that kind to Kushina.

_Fire eh? I like it! When it's put that way, fire actually sounds…..beautiful. _

For once Kushina felt welcomed, as if she might actually make a friend.

For once she felt accepted.

As if she was home.

Kushina grinned widely at the Uchiha girl. "I am Uzumaki Kushina!"

Mikoto beamed back. "Mikoto. Uchiha Mikoto."


End file.
